Imagine feeling completing hopeless about your TMJ condition after seeing 12 medical practitioners and you are still unable to have pain relief from this terrible debilitating condition. Seems unimaginable, right? Well, it happened to one of my patients and I had the privilege of being the final practitioner that was able to help get him restored, pain free, and back to enjoying life again.
My “Hopeless” Patient
This patient was able to experience an incredible transformation and after almost three years of unbearable pain, restricted breathing, difficulty swallowing, and tingling in the arms and torso, was finally able to find relief and return to living a normal, healthy life as a result of my TMJ treatment protocol.
The 12 medical practitioners my patient saw with no success, included a Periodontist, 2 Oral Surgeons, Endodontist, Chiropractor, Ear, Nose & Throat Doctor, Neurologist, A Facial Pain Specialist, Message Therapist, Acupuncturist, and a Hypnotist.
If you have gone through a big loss or overwhelming life change, or if you are living with a mental health condition such as depression, it is common to feel like the situation is hopeless and will never improve. Hopelessness is a feeling of despair or lack of hope that life can feel better than it does. These feelings may make you pull back from your life and avoid doing things you usually enjoy or being with people you love. If hopelessness becomes severe, it can lead to suicidal thoughts.
A common thing that happens when you feel hopeless is catastrophizing, or imagining a worst-case scenario. Catastrophizing may cause you to overestimate how bad a situation is or believe that a difficult situation is permanent.
Caregivers often are so busy caring for others that they tend to neglect their own emotional, physical and spiritual health. The demands on a caregiver's body, mind and emotions can easily seem overwhelming, leading to fatigue, hopelessness and ultimately burnout.
That stark reality has sent leaders scrambling to figure out how to get this vulnerable population vaccinated. Along with public health offices, fire departments, and even National Guard units, teaching hospitals are stepping up to inoculate thousands of homebound patients.
In fact, homebound individuals often suffer from social isolation, which is linked to serious health risks, such as heart disease and stroke. The ability to safely see friends and family is one of the many benefits of vaccination for homebound patients, experts note.
Students involved with at-home vaccinations also greatly value the experience. For fourth-year Boston University School of Medicine student Ali Siddiqui, it was his first time administering a vaccine. He appreciated the opportunity to learn the skill, but he says the chance to see patients in their home environments was most rewarding.
Persistent depressive disorder is a continuous, long-term form of depression. You may feel sad and empty, lose interest in daily activities and have trouble getting things done. You may also have low self-esteem, feel like a failure and feel hopeless. These feelings last for years and may interfere with your relationships, school, work and daily activities.
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Haatainen K, Tanskanen A, Kylmä J, Honkalampi K, Koivumaa-Honkanen H, Hintikka J, Viinamäki H. Factors associated with hopelessness: a population study. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2004 Jun;50(2):142-52. doi:10.1177/0020764004040961
Dear Apostle and Martyr for Christ, you left us an Epistle in the New Testament. With good reason many invoke you when illness is at a desperate stage. We now recommend to your kindness (name of patient) who is in a critical condition. May the cure of this patient increase his/her faith and love for the Lord of Life, for the glory of our merciful God. Amen.
Interactions between patients and medical practitioners can sometimes be challenging. We have all had consultations where the interaction was not optimal, either as medical practitioners or as a patient ourselves. Neither normally wishes to cause a difficult situation but common misunderstandings, by both groups, often result in such an occurrence. Communication and listening skills are essential for every consultation but in particular, for situations where the interaction may become difficult.
In a complex clinical case, doctors may seem so preoccupied with finding the solution to the clinical problem that it is sometimes easy to forget that the patient might be overwhelmed by anxiety, frustration and negative emotions, and require re-assurance to feel safe, at ease and trust in the doctor.
Healthcare setting (either outpatient clinic or wards) is a familiar setting for doctors to have difficult conversations, whereas for patients, it can be uncomfortable and sometimes awkward, especially if they are at the point of receiving their diagnosis.
Lack of resources in terms of staffing levels or of maintaining patient privacy and dignity during consultation is another contributing factor; for example, during a consultation there may be several doctors or nurses moving in and out of the room that distract attention and may affect dignity and privacy.
Hospitals have problems getting their wards to communicate with each other, never mind with local GPs or patients What is stopping a digital revolution in health and social care? Read more from the Patient from hell
The Psychiatrist, say, as a referral from the Neurologist, represents hopelessness. It means the rest of the scientific world has given up; it means worst fears are confirmed. "I am crazy," "I am mad," "I no longer have control." This extends even to treatment. An antipsychotic medication prescribed by a Neurologist is somehow an easier pill to swallow for most people than when prescribed by a Psychiatrist.
End the relentless aches and aggravation of arthritis and start enjoying a more active and pain-free life once again!Harvard Medical School Trained, Board-Certified Rheumatologist, David Gibson is accepting new patients at Missouri Delta Rheumatology!
Time spent at the hospital can be a little scary and uncomfortable. At Missouri Delta Medical Center, we do everything we can to keep our patients happy, but a card from a loved one would be even better!
As a not-for-profit hospital, we are required to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years for the geographic area from which a significant number of patients using MDMC ser...
Hopelessness occurs when a patient sees no alternative to their situation and is unable to energize themselves to overcome obstacles. Hopelessness is often seen in healthcare as patients suffer from chronic diseases or traumatic accidents that prevent them from living life to their full ability. When patients cannot perform ADLs, maintain a career, or parent their children, they may feel discouraged and unmotivated. When these feelings persist and patients feel there is no solution, hopelessness develops. Research shows that hopelessness increases mortality so it is vital to recognize and intervene when observed.
Hopelessness can be overcome. Nurses can be the nonjudgmental, listening support system many patients need to begin to recognize their feelings and manage their challenges. Nurses can provide therapeutic interventions during hospitalization, refer to specialists to continue working through feelings of loss or depression, and teach them simple ways to cope after discharge when feeling hopeless.
1. Identify recent physical or emotional changes.Assess for any changes that could spark feelings of hopelessness such as a chronic or terminal diagnosis, recent job loss, or loss of a family member.
6. Assess support system or lack thereof.Assess for family, friends, or other individuals that the patient relies on for support. A lack of outside support fuels isolation and hopelessness.
1. Take time to listen.Patients who feel hopeless may assume no one cares what they are feeling. Reassure the patient you are available and want to help. It may take time to build a rapport before the patient will open up and express what is causing their hopelessness.
5. Refer to a mental health professional.Long-term hopelessness may lead to depression and require intervention from a specialist to uncover deeper issues and assist the patient in coping and learning strategies to manage their problem.
7. Incorporate self-care techniques.Determine what the patient likes to do to improve their mood and help them create it. Journaling can help with reflection and expressing feelings. Assist the patient to get outside and spend time in nature and sunlight.
10. Focus on strengths and gratitude.Long-term illnesses or debilitating physical limitations can cause hopelessness. Help the patient focus on their strengths such as a strong sense of humor, and to practice gratitude for the things and people that bring them happiness.
In general, nearly everyone with a mood disorder has ongoing feelings of sadness, and may feel helpless, hopeless, and irritable. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years, and can impact quality of life.
Methods: A lethal fetal injection was offered to patients carrying chromosomally or structurally abnormal fetuses at 19-24 weeks' gestation who desired abortion. When the patient elected this procedure, real-time ultrasound guidance was used to inject 3-5 mL of potassium chloride (2 mEq/mL) directly into the fetal cardiac chambers, followed by observation of fetal heart activity to ascertain cessation. Labor was subsequently induced with uterotonic prostaglandins. 2ff7e9595c
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